DribbleDrabble
by typecast
Summary: A series of unrelated [but maybe sometimes?] drabbles and oneshots. Some serious, some cracky, ratings will range anywhere from G to R. Don't say I didn't warn you. :P
1. Konoha's Hundred Acre Wood

Disclaimer: All rights to Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto and affiliated companies. For this drabble, the creation rights to Winnie-the-Pooh (note the hyphen, Disney P) belong A. A. Milne and a bunch of other companies who shouldn't sue me because poor college students don't have much money. XDD

Also, there are a few quotes from the books in here, of which I don't claim ownership.

-

One day, though not any special day in particular, Chouji found himself in the middle of Konoha's forest. And though this was no particularly special day, the young nin found that the weather was quite warm, as it ought to be in summer, and thought it'd be rather nice if he were to merely rest on an empty tree stump and think. So Chouji sat on the vacant tree stump and thought and thought and thought and thought. And he found it was quite nice to be all alone with his thoughts; he could understand why Shikamaru disappeared so often to think, though he wished his friend wouldn't do it _so_ often, because it always made Ino incredibly mad and Chouji really hated seeing Ino upset. Actually, he really hated seeing anyone upset.

So, Chouji sat on his stump and thought. And he thought for quite a long time, until he came up with a really _good_ thought, and decided he'd have to ask his friends if they knew the answer.

"Oh, bother," said Chouji aloud. "I'm suddenly quite hungry."

The ninja sighed and got up from his rather nice tree stump, because though he was not usually apt to hurry, when one got a rumbly in one's tumbly, Chouji knew it was best to quickly find something to eat. And the right place to go? Well, Chouji knew just where that was.

"Oh. Hullo, Chouji," answered Shikamaru, after Chouji had knocked on his door.

"Hello, Shikamaru. Would you happen to have any dango?"

Shikamaru sighed and gave his friend a nod. "I should've known that's what you'd come for."

"Well, no. That's not really why I've come, Shikamaru. Though, I do love dango," replied Chouji, taking a seat at his friend's table. Shikamaru lifted an eyebrow.

"Then why have you come, if not to eat me out of house and home?"

Chouji opened his mouth, and then stopped for a second. "Oh dear. I seem to have forgotten."

"Cho-bear," said Shikamaru. "You haven't any brain."

"Oh yes, I know," Chouji responded. "It's all fluff between my ears."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and set a plate down in front of him. "Your dango, dear friend."

Chouji smiled. "You're nice to talk to, Shikamaru. Even though you're smart."

"Even though I'm smart?"

"Yes, even though you're smart," said Chouji. "Because it's more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words, but rather short, easy words like 'What about lunch?' you see. And that's you."

Shikamaru felt a grin tug at the corners of his mouth. "I see."

"Mmmm," said Chouji, taking a whiff of his plate. "You know, what I like best—" and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Dango was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. "Oh dear, then I suppose I'm not sure."

Shikamaru laughed.

"Just eat your food, you silly ole bear."

-

_"Promise me you'll never forget me, because if I thought you would I'd never leave."_


	2. Five Years

-

When Sakura is seven, a girl tells her to never be ashamed of herself. And when Ino pulls her hair back with that scarlet ribbon, she makes a promise to never hide herself from the world again.

When Sakura is twelve, her father gives her a present at her graduation. It is an elaborate kimono, blue with pink cherry blossoms cascading down the silk, and she falls in love with it right there. When she gets home, her mother ties the obi for her and tells her that she's never been prouder.

When Sakura is seven, she watches a young boy through enamored green eyes. He's quiet and stern, with perfect pale features, and she knows that the other girls like to watch him too. And Sakura tells herself that one day, she'll be the one who Sasuke loves.

When Sakura is twelve, both of her boys leave her. Sasuke leaves to fulfill a vow to himself, and Naruto leaves to fulfill a vow to Sakura. When they're gone she has her first solo mission, and the realization that there is no longer a Team 7 turns her stomach.

When Sakura is seven, she has big dreams. She dreams of an embrace in Sasuke's arms, a Naruto who's quiet and doesn't interrupt class, and a Sakura who's strong and sure of herself.

When Sakura is twelve, she gets these things. But Sasuke's affectionate goodbye isn't how she'd imagined it, and Naruto's silence leaves her wanting, and when Sakura runs her fingers through short, pink locks she thinks that maybe she's not all that sure of herself after all.

-

_"When alone at last we'd count up all the chances that were lost to us forever."_


	3. What Goes Unsaid

-

When you wake up on Kakashi-sensei's back, groggy and aching and bone-tired, the first words out of your mouth are, _What about Sasuke_, but Kakashi-sensei doesn't answer. He never answers.

The perverted hermit comes and visits you while you're in the hospital. He spouts lies about forgetting your comrades and keeping your eyes on the future, rather than the past. He calls you a fool, and you tell him you'd rather be a fool than abandon Sasuke, though not in so many words. But the unsaid declaration hangs heavy in the air, and when the hermit leaves, you can tell by the way his face hangs that he heard it.

You spend the next few days in that hospital bed. It's less because you feel you need the rest and more because you don't want to face the world. Kakashi-sensei comes and sits with you at lunchtimes, bringing you ramen from Ichiraku. You thank him with your forced smile, but you have a feeling he can see right through it.

When you finally leave the hospital, you find yourself spending most of your remaining days with Kakashi-sensei. You're not quite sure why— it's not like you and him were all that close before, but now it seems as though he's the only one you can stand to be with. Everyone else gives you compassion-filled glances and stares that scream _sorry, we're sorry,_ but it just makes the ghost wound in your left shoulder hurt harder, and you have to turn away.

Kakashi-sensei doesn't look at you with pity. He looks at you with guilt.

You still can't figure out whether that's worse or not.

One day, Kakashi-sensei asks if you'd like to train together. You give him an enthusiastic yes, glad for the attention that was so long in coming, but when the two of you reach the training grounds, he only pulls out some shuriken and kunai and says that you're going to work on accuracy. You're not sure what it is exactly— maybe it's the false hope you'd built up that you'd learn Chidori and the final rejection is just too strong; maybe it's the realization that you might just be a replacement for Sasuke, though one that can never amount; maybe it's just the look in Kakashi-sensei's eyes that tells you he deserves it. But whatever the reason, the thin cord that's been holding you together for the past few days just snaps, and in the next instant you're beating your fists half-heartedly against Kakashi-sensei's chest screaming, _Why, why._

He lets you.

After a long moment, you stop, burying your face in his chuunin vest and letting your tears and nose run down the fabric. He brings one hand up to rest on your back and the other cradles the back of your head softly until your eyes run dry.

Kakashi-sensei takes you to his house that night and lets you sleep in his bed while he smoothes back your hair. You mumble that you could share the futon with him, but he responds with some lecture on father figures and teacher-student dynamics that loses your attention.

When you peel his mask down and kiss him, he doesn't stop you, but he doesn't encourage you either. His lips are smooth and dry and so much like— but of course you don't want to think about that. When you pull away, he tugs the mask back up and doesn't say, _Don't be like me. Don't, don't._ He doesn't say it, but you hear it anyway.

When you wake up in Kakashi-sensei's bed, groggy and aching and bone-tired, the first thoughts in your head are, _What about Sasuke_, and you think that Kakashi-sensei must've heard because he looks at you with that one eye that sees only the past, and you see the glint of black hair and red eyes in the depths of that dark pupil.

-

_"Why do I keep getting done in by the same punch, and yet still continue to fight?"_


	4. Sun, Moon, and Sky

-

Naruto is hot days in the park, rough-and-tumble on green, green grass, and chases through the treetops. Naruto is the boy who picks her up (shrieking and squealing) and throws her into the stream. Uzumaki Naruto is her sun.

Sasuke is quiet nights inside, dog-eared books read in low light, and walks through the garden. Sasuke is the boy who dances with her (slow and soft) in dead silence. Uchiha Sasuke is her moon.

Sakura is fresh spring mornings, gusts of wind that brush the hair back from their faces, and jogs around the lake. Sakura is the girl who patches up their wounds (fucking and fighting) with an exasperated smile. Haruno Sakura is their sky.

And when Naruto laughs, it's loud and hot. And when Sasuke smiles, it's quiet and cool.

And when Sakura whispers, it's like an ocean breeze.

-

_"I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now."_


End file.
